Lecture 5. Melody: Notes, Scales, Nuts and Bolts

Listening to Music (MUSI 112) This lecture explores the basic nature of melody. Touching on historical periods ranging from ancient Greece to the present day, Professor Wright draws examples from musical worlds as disparate as nineteenthcentury Europe and twentiethcentury India, China, and America. Professor Wright puts forth a historical, technical, and holistic approach to understanding the way pitches and scales work in music. He concludes his lecture by bringing pitch and rhythm together in a discussion of Beethoven s Ninth Symphony. 00:00 Chapter 1. The Nature of Melody 02:37 Chapter 2. The Development of Notes and the Scale 14:43 Chapter 3. Major, Minor, and Chromatic Scales in World Music 33:03 Chapter 4. Pitch and Rhythm in Beethoven s Ninth Symphony Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: This course was recorded in Fall 2008.